so, i was browsing web, nothing was loading at all, nothing. then blank went the screen, and it restarted. wtf i think

so then it says windows has recovered from serious error, yadda yadda, i submit,
and this is the webpage:

MSOFT said:

Hardware failure: replace failed component

Thank you for submitting an error report.

Problem description

The error was caused by an unrecoverable hardware error which forced the operating system to stop functioning.

Although we know the problem is caused by a hardware component, unfortunately the error report does not contain enough information to tell us the specific component. More than likely the problem is being caused by problems with one or more of the following computer components:

If you have received this error more than once, it could indicate a serious problem with your computer. We recommend that you do the following:

1. Back up your files to avoid data loss in case of a complete hardware failure.
2. Contact the original manufacturer of your computer or your local computer repair shop. Either will have advanced hardware diagnostics to determine the specific component which is failing.

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STOP: 0x0000009C (0x00000004, 0x00000000, 0xb2000000, 0x00020151) ...
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 329284
Last Review : January 27, 2006
Revision : 1.5
This article was previously published under Q329284
For a Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Microsoft Windows 2000 version of this article, see 162363 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/162363/).
SYMPTOMS
You may receive the following Stop error message:
STOP: 0x0000009C (0x00000004, 0x00000000, 0xb2000000, 0x00020151)
"MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION"
The four parameters inside the parentheses may vary.
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CAUSE
This behavior occurs because your computer processor detected and reported an unrecoverable hardware error to Windows XP. To do this, the processor used the Machine Check Exception (MCE) feature of Pentium processors or the Machine Check Architecture (MCA) feature of some Pentium Pro processors. The following factors may cause this error message:
• System bus errors
• Memory errors that may include parity or Error Correction Code (ECC) problems
• Cache errors in the processor or hardware
• Translation Lookaside Buffers (TLB) errors in the processor
• Other CPU-vendor specific detected hardware problems
• Vendor-specific detected hardware problems
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STATUS
This behavior is by design.
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MORE INFORMATION
A machine check exception occurs when Windows XP and your hardware platform cannot recover from a hardware error so that the system can continue to run successfully and reliably. More specific diagnosis of machine check exceptions is difficult, and there is no general solution. Contact your hardware manufacturer or a computer hardware technician for help with troubleshooting this issue.

Machine check exceptions are frequently caused by one of the following conditions:
• You are running the processor or mainboard beyond its specifications. For example, you are overclocking the processor or bus. We recommend that you run your hardware at the manufacturer-rated speeds.
• Noisy power, overstressed power strips, outmatched power supplies and failing power supplies can destabilize your computer. Make sure that you have a stable, reliable power supply to your computer.
• Extreme thermal conditions caused by the failure of cooling devices such as fans may damage your computer. Make sure that your cooling devices are all working.
• You have damaged memory or memory that is not the correct type for your computer. If you recently changed the memory configuration, revert to the previous configuration to determine what is wrong. Make sure that you are using the correct memory for your computer.
Note Your hardware may support additional error logging features that capture the machine check exception and suggest a more specific solution.

The Pentium and Pentium Pro processors provide a mechanism to detect and to report hardware-related problems such as memory parity errors and cache errors. To signal a hardware error, the processor signals the detection of a machine check error by generating a machine check exception (Interrupt 18). Windows XP reports that the error occurred and displays parameters that you can use to decode the exception. Contact your hardware vendor or processor manufacturer for information about the Machine Check Architecture, or see the Intel Pentium Pro Family Developer's Manual - Volume 3: Operating System Writer's Manual.
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APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
• Microsoft Windows XP Professional
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Keywords:
kberrmsg kbprb kbprod2web KB329284
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this is primarly a fable started by intel, properly cooled chips wont die any sooner from overclocking then they would at normal clocks, a64 chips will spew errors b4 they take any damnage due to heat.
intel use to say how horrid overclocking was and have people tell storys about meltdowns and such(intel was caught having ppl do this once)

i have overclocked for years, my first oc was a 386dx40+cyrix math unit, stock 40mhz, overclocked to 50mhz(changed cpu clock crystle)

i have a k6-2 and k6-3 both rated at 400mhz both at 550mhz been running since late 90's like that

have 1700+ athlonxp running at 2.3gz for years now under constand server use(database/web/work server)

2600+ axp's at 2300mhz, few years no stab issues at all.

my my a64' are overclocked at least a little bit as well

overclocking is safe as long as you follow the proper rules AND do it properly for the perticular systems your on, a64 is a little more complex for overclocking then intel, but the benifits are HUGE when done properly, a 2gz chip can be clocked to over 2.7gz making it faster then the fastest chip amd is selling, my chips at 2.7 in this box, my buddys got a chip thats stock 1.8gz he managed to get to 3.2gz on air, never goes over 48c even on hot days, thats a HUGE overclock, yet its ROCK stable and fast dispite small cache.

so in summery: no proper clocking wont make your cpu die any faster then it would have anyway, heat is what kills chips not clocks.

i_am_mustang_man: try backing it back down to 265 see if that helps, it may help, if so your board may not be locking something properly or you may not be setting htt devider or such properly.
you may also need to set the ram to 2t sometimes a64 mem controlers get wonky at high clocks with low latancys.

I'll have to say a flat out restart looks like fluctuating vcore or not enough vcore. see if you can mimic the error by playing a very intensive game like Quake 4. If it does it again, its time to raise that vcore a few places, if it doesnt, ignore it. Non ECC RAM typically will have a single error every 750hrs or so of use.

the thing is, that no one is realizing, is that i ran the processor at 2.6ghz for months, put it to 2.43, and then in a week and a half it crashed. it doesn't do this every week, it's never done this before. i want the problem to reoccur to see if i can find more info, so i'm leaving it as it is and letting it fold in the meantime.

secondly, i don't think running anything intensive will make it quit, because i gamed with oblivion last night, and nary a blip. it crashed when nothing was happening. maybe something is bad, maybe my cpu, but the vcore is plenty high (1.4 stock, at 1.5, i've done this before, it's fine like this. it loads at 39C at 2.43ghz and 1.5V vcore)

i think i may reformat my harddrive, but i have a question for people about licenses then, and i'll start a new thread if the people who know aren't in this thread - i have a license on the back of my machine from emachines (what i've built off of (only hdd, xp license, and cpu are left in my machine), if i reformat the drive and reinstall windows on a different drive than the 80gb ide one from emachines (like my nice 250gb sata2 drive...) will it work as long as i have an actual xp home disc?

they are yes.. but it needs more than one random reboot for anything other than the "fluke" factor to be ruled out..

so far we have a "fluke".. flukes by their very nature are inexplicable.. we aint gonna learn much except wierd things sometimes happen..

one thing to learn thow is that instabilities can show up just with a mouse click in windows.. it matches my recent machine and its tweaking.. i kept the core down as low as possible ran the machine for a few days it played games and ran the 3dmarks.. i thought i had it right..

but after about five days a simple right click and copy in windows produced an instant reboot.. nearly there but not quite..

being as i was running a low core voltage anyways i just gave it a little more... problem solved.. but my real answer to instability is to run at least 5% below known instability speeds..

any system nearer to the instability point than say 5% cant really be considered long term stable..

i know my machine is stable at 3.2 gigs.. but to make really sure i run it at 3 gig.. random reboots are a sign of system (mostly hardware) instability.. your system will probably do it again..

but if u want to pin it down.. speed a few things up one at a time and reproduce the fault.. make it happen more often and u might find out what it is..

the problem with the "waiting" appoach with slight instability is u have to wait too long..

the only sensible (practical) way isnt to slow things down.. its to speeds things up.. get to the point u can reproduce the fault at will.. find the exact instability point of each piece of the puzzle..

just a quick follow up - i am pretty sure the cpu became unstable, cuz it started to happen more and more. i lowered the cpu to 2500, and it crashed after a week. it was @ 2450 for a while, and didn't crash in like a week and half. i have since changed proccys, so whatever, but i just wanted to post what i thought i resolved it with. thanks!

just a quick follow up - i am pretty sure the cpu became unstable, cuz it started to happen more and more. i lowered the cpu to 2500, and it crashed after a week. it was @ 2450 for a while, and didn't crash in like a week and half. i have since changed proccys, so whatever, but i just wanted to post what i thought i resolved it with. thanks!